The Thappad screenwriter, and daughter of the late actor Reema Lagoo, tried her hand at acting before choosing to write
Labonita Ghosh (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 29, 2020)

Soon after the release of Thappad, screenwriter Mrunmayee Lagoo was flooded with calls from people keen to discuss it. Co-written by Lagoo and director Anubhav Sinha the film — about a homemaker who divorces her husband after he slaps her in public — has divided viewers. Lagoo, 36, was happy to engage. “I’m glad people have so much to say,” she says. “I believe a film should have an impact on you. There are films which leave you unaffected, and that’s my worst nightmare.”

The best validation came from a colleague. Referring to the scene where [the lead] Amrita spends the whole night rearranging the living room furniture, the colleague said she finally understood why, as a child, she often found the furniture in her house moved around.

“It gave me a chill to hear that,” says Lagoo, who has been incredibly insightful with small, telling details throughout the film, even though she admits she has never encountered any sort of patriarchy herself.

Lagoo, the daughter of actor Reema Lagoo (who died in 2017), began her career as an assistant director with 3 Idiots. “I did give acting a shot, but I wasn’t good at it,” she says. “Once I even asked my mother, who was also a theatre-person, how she could play the same role night after night for 200 shows.” Reema reacted with an acerbic, “If you’re asking, then you’re not cut out for it”. But being an AD provided the best learning experience, Lagoo says. “It makes you a problem solver since you just have to deliver on every demand.” Lagoo later became a continuity tracker and then segued into writing.

Growing up, she had little exposure to films. Enrolled in a boarding school in Panchgani, her mother insisted she finish her studies first. “I had a middle class Maharashtrian upbringing,” says Lagoo. “My mother never attended any film parties, and we never had anyone from the industry over.”

One of the few times Lagoo accompanied her mother to a shoot was on location to Ooty for Hum Aapke Hain Koun. “At 14, I was the only child on the sets, so I got a lot of attention,” says Lagoo. “[Director] Sooraj ji made sure I was comfortable. Salman would recommend books to read, and Madhuri and I often teamed up when the cast played Dumb Charades between takes. She was very good at the game.”

Her debut, Thappad, has won Lagoo a lot of praise. But she was an untested talent when Sinha decided to take a chance with her. “He was looking for a female writer to collaborate with when his DP suggested my name,” says Lagoo. The two spent several weeks discussing the littlest details. “I ruminate over things, usually the big picture. Once I can see where the story is going, the writing doesn’t take time,” says Lagoo of her process. “I also tend to rewrite a lot.”

For Thappad, Lagoo had to deep-dive into law to investigate the legal options before a person like Amrita, and discussed the dynamics of the couple’s relationship with many people. “Almost everyone found one or two identifiable things in the film,” she says. Lagoo is already at work on another script with Sinha, and is in talks with some OTT platforms for content. The one reaction she would’ve liked to get is her mother’s. “I have no idea how she would have reacted to Thappad, but it would have entailed detailed discussions over days,” says Lagoo. “And she would’ve had a lot to say about the two mothers, having played one so many times herself.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2017)

Reema Lagoo suffered a heart attack in the early hours of May 18. Along with the tribute, Mirror carried some ethereal black-and-white pictures of the actress which were clicked by her friend Renuka Shahane at Filmistan Studio during the shoot of Sooraj Barjatya’s 1994 film Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!

“During the 130-day shoot Reema Tai and I shared the same make-up room. She was the superstar of Marathi theatre and I’d watched her performances in plays like Savita Damodar Paranjape and Ghar Tighancha Hava. By then she had found a footing in Bollywood and was a senior artiste. She wasn’t very talkative but in the course of sharing a room and our tiffins she grew protective of me. If a stranger tried to act over-friendly with me, she’d raise an eyebrow in warning,” Renuka reminisces adding that though she played her daughter in the film, Reema was only nine years older than her.

Since it was huge cast, getting ready took a lot of time. Reema didn’t like spending too much time on hair and make-up so she’d get dressed and wait for the others. Renuka was experimenting with photography at the time and asked the senior actress if she’d model for her before the shooting began. “She was embarrassed initially but agreed and would wait patiently as, being an amateur photographer, I kept adjusting the focus and angles. I gave the pictures to her after developing and she loved them. She shared them with a publication when they profiled her too. For me they were a celebration of Reema Tai but I’m happy they’ve found their place in tributes to her,” says Renuka.

They reunited for a gritty Marathi film being shot in Kolhapur, with Reema playing Renuka’s mother-in-law. “She had become a larger-than-life screen mom by then, having played Rishi Kapoor’s mother in Prem Granth. She was never bothered about playing maa and was warm with everyone, in particular Soorajji’s young assistants who found ways of striking up a conversation with her. She used to discuss their dreams and ambitions with them for hours. She left all of us too early,” Renuka signs off with a heavy heart.

Takes over as Dayawanti Mehta in a daily soap
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2017)

Popular theatre and television artiste Ragini Shah has been brought in to step into the late Reema Lagoo’s shoes in Naamkaran after the latter’s sudden demise. Reema played Dayawanti Mehta, one of the protagonists in the Star Plus show.

“When I got the call I blanked out totally. But the producers were desperate because the current wedding track is pivotal to the show and they needed a replacement urgently. It is still hard to believe that a happy-go-lucky person like Reema who was shooting on Wednesday is no more,” sighs Ragini who was already busy with a Gujarati film and committed to a play. She wriggled out of theatre commitment for television and was doing a look test on Friday morning. “Maheshji (Bhatt) came to meet me, along with producers, to explain the role. This is the first time I’m replacing someone but Maheshji told me to think of Dayawanti as a new character. Everyone is helping me.”

The actress confesses that since she’s been busy with stage, she hasn’t watched the show in the past but the makers have assured her that’s a good thing because she can play the character her way. “Dayawanti is strong, and unpredictable, I think I will enjoy playing her,” she says.

Being a theatre artiste Ragini had met Reema during a Gujarati play. Since the late actress was speaking an unfamiliar language, she would ask her if she was doing it right. “Reemaji was always open to suggestions. I respected her a lot and will dedicate this performance to her,” she asserts.

Stage, TV, film actress Reema Lagoo succumbed to cardiac arrest in Mumbai
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2017)

It’s past noon on Thursday. Mahesh Bhatt has just left Reema Lagoo’s residence after paying his last respects to the actress who close to midnight had called her relatives complaining of uneasiness and was rushed to a suburban hospital where she succumbed to a heart attack at around 3 am.

“She walked into the hospital herself. She had no history of heart diseases and was only suffering from a throat infection. This is such a shock!” exclaims the inconsolable filmmaker who’d first worked with her in the musical Aashiqui in which she played Rahul Roy’s mother who brings him up alone after her husband leaves them. She then went on to play mother to love child Ajay Devgn in Naajayaz. More recently, Bhatt convinced her to be a part of a daily soap, Naamkarann, on the assurance that the tone and tenor of her character, Dayawanti Mehta, would be set by him, and he’d oversee the project on a daily basis.

“Last August, I came out of retirement to direct her introduction scene in Naamkarann with the permission of the director. The sound of her breath in that scene still haunts me. She was the heartbeat of the show and the young writers marvelled at how she brought that something special to the screen. She was working 12 hours a day, how did this happen?” he wonders.

Shreyas Talpade is equally shocked having read her post on a whatsapp group at 12.30 am on Tuesday. He had worked with her in the ’90s, as an assistant director on the pilot of a TV series. “She didn’t treat me any differently when I became an actor, always enquiring about my family and inviting me home,” he shares.

Archana Puran Singh informs that Reema herself was extremely close to her own family and would ensure that she was back home in time for dinner so she could make the chapatis herself. The two had worked together in the madcap comedy, Shrimaan Shrimati, and Archana asserts that in real life Reema reflected the person she was on screen—warm, lovable and good-natured. She however confides that initially Reema wasn’t comfortable. “I told her to give it one episode and she’d love it. After we wrapped up the first episode, she admitted she’d never enjoyed herself as much. Despite her initial reservations she was effortlessly brilliant as Kokiji. It was tragic when Jatin Kanakia passed away, now Reema is gone,” she sobs.

Another sitcom which is unforgettable is Tu Tu Main Main which her childhood friend, Sachin Pilgaonkar, acted in and directed. It also featured his wife, Supriya, who played Reema’s daughter-in-law. “It became a real big thing and her contribution was immense. Tu Tu Main Main is one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” he says, too overwhelmed to continue.

Veteran actress Bharti Achrekar’s bond with her dated back to three decades even though they only worked together in one play, Lagnachi Bedhi. “Sadashiv Amrapukar, Suhas Joshi and Tanuja were all part of the cast. It was for a social cause and played all over Maharashtra. We were a part of a close circle in the Marathi industry,” she informs.

Juhi Chawla who had a few scenes with Reema in Aziz Mirza’s Yes Boss, remembers that she used to be so busy with theatre and her travels that whenever she had a break between shots, she’d snatch 40 winks and return, refreshed.

“I recently bumped into her at an awards function after a long time. When she learnt that I’m associated with certain social causes, she told me she’d love to do anything associated with children,” Juhi reminisces, adding that she loved watching her most in Sooraj Barjatya’s films.

Bhagyashree who worked with her in Sooraj’s directorial debut, Maine Pyar Kiya, recalls the scene featuring Salman Khan, Reema who played his mother at 31, and her together. In it the actress asks her, “Mere pagle Prem ki Suman banegi?” “It was one of the first scenes we shot together. There was so much love and tenderness in her voice that it actually made me cry. And yet I will remember her as a woman with a smile that made her eyes twinkle,” she maintains.

Kajol who shared the screen with her in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha and Yeh Dillagi, was one of the first to reach the Oshiwara crematorium even before the body arrived. She could not hold back her tears after paying her last respects and hurried away without speaking to anyone. But Farah Khan who choreographed the two in the song “Saajanji ghar aaye” in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, insists that Reema always brought a happy, positive energy with her to the sets. “She was beautiful and joked that she was too young to play a mother. Today, I’ll say that she was too young to go. It’s really sad,” Farah says emotionally.

A few days before she passed away, Bhatt had shared with her a video from one of the many inspirational Ted Talks. It was about a plane crash survivor who, when faced with the prospect of imminent death, realises that everything can change in an instant, one shouldn’t have any regrets and postpone anything for the morrow. “I thought of all the people I wanted to meet, all the fences I wanted to mend and all the things I wanted to change,” he says. Reema responded, saying “This was beautiful, timely and so very relevant.”

Remembering their last exchange, Bhatt rues that he couldn’t make it to the Naamkarann sets. “We said goodbye over the phone with the promise to meet again. We keep thinking we have time but forget that none of us are sure there’s a tomorrow. That’s the essence of life,” he asserts. “The image of her lying there as I showered rose petals on her feet, so cold, silent and lifeless, and the memories of the warm woman so full of life, are two different streams that are impossible to reconcile.”

—With inputs from Natasha Coutinho
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Saif Ali Khan recalls screen mom

I’m sad to hear about dear Reemaji who played my mother in Yeh Dillagi, my first hit film in the ’90s. She was a wonderful actress and a lot of fun on set. Akshay (Kumar) and I used to pass her love notes that we’d written and pretend that Saeed Jaffrey saab was writing them. Her reaction was amusing! She was so kind and patient with me. I can’t believe she passed away at such a young age. Anything can happen at anytime to any of us. My condolences to her family...

Saif and Reema also worked togther in Hum Saath Saath Hain and Kal Ho Na Ho

Mohnish Behl (MID-DAY; May 19, 2017)

Not many know that she was only a few years older than most of the actors she played mother to. As far as I’m concerned, my camaraderie with Reemaji was crackling. I first met her first during the shoot of Maine Pyaar Kiya in 1987. Everyone knows her as a phenomenal actor, a beautiful woman. But no matter what you say about her, it wont suffice to describe the person that she was.

What really struck me about her was her kindness, sensitivity and non judgmental attitude. When you walked into a set and saw her, she radiated such great warmth. I don’t know a soul who didn’t like her. She had a different aura and charm. I hadn’t met her in years unfortunately, because I haven’t done much cinema; whatever little I have done wasn’t with her. That’s a regret I will always live with.

I am certain people will feel the void more when a director like Sooraj Barjatya puts together a film about families and they find her missing from a space that she rightfully commanded.

Reemaji used to live in a building bang opposite mine. On several occasions, I would wake up to find my wife, Aarti, waving out to Reemaji from our balcony. They conversed through gestures.

I wouldn’t comment on her acting prowess. That would be chhoti mooh badi baat, but I loved her in Vaastav. Her repertoire is filled with exemplary works. She is an actor of immense calibre. But there are things in a person which often go beyond their professional capabilities. I would miss her as a friend. She always wore the smile of an understanding, older friend. There was no forewarning of her demise and it has come as a rude shock.

As told to Mohar Basu


Actor Mohnish Behl (left) played her favourite son in Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999)

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2017)

She was one of my closest friends of almost 40 years. The Marathi acting community was small when we started out and we grew together under the tutelage of the same guru, Vijaya Mehta. Reema went on to do Hindi films and changed the face of the onscreen mother. But she never left Marathi theatre. She never realised how big she had become.

We would go on trips together; we had our own group—Bharti Achrekar, Suhas Joshi, Smita Talwalkar, Vandana Gupte, Reema and I. We lost Smita to cancer a few years ago but we continued to hang out together. Buland marked the beginning of my friendship with Reema as we were travelling together for it. Nobody knew that she was a banker before she ventured into films. She was friends with my husband (Dilip Kulkarni) who was a banker too. When he passed away 15 years ago, she was by my side.

She inspired people like Smita Jayakar and me to try Hindi films. With her around, Bollywood didn’t seem like a scary place after all. We went on to do a film together, Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar, with Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty. I had just stepped into Hindi films and, to her horror, I was playing her mother-in-law. On the first day, she refused to talk to me. Later, she came into my makeup room and said, “Why are you starting out like this? Never take up such roles.” She taught me to choose roles well.

We did Marathi films together too, including the National Award-winning Anumati and the popular Gho Mala Asala Hawa, for which we were in Konkan for 20 days. The place didn’t have best of facilities so we had to share everything. She was very accommodating.

She was doing Mukta Barve’s play Chapa Kata and performed with a lot of aplomb. I had gone for its mahurat and first show. After 100 shows the producers came to me and asked if I’d like to step into her role as she didn’t want to do the play anymore because her daughter was getting married. When I called her up before accepting the offer, she said, “Neena, I have too much on my plate. Go ahead, do it. I don’t want a running play to shut down.” People thought we’d never talk to each other after that but we grew even closer. I did 150 shows of the play.

Today, I was going through the pictures she had sent me from her Bhutan vacation last year. We were like sisters. We were even working for the same channel— I am doing Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and she was doing Naamkarann. She was scared to get into a daily soap but I pushed her to do it. I started watching Naamkarann only for her.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2017)

One of Bollywood's most endearing mothers succumbed to cardiac arrest on Thursday morning
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 19, 2017)

The actor took his water conservation initiative to Amravati, one of the state's worst drought-hit districts
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 6, 2016)

Locals at the Babasaheb Ambedkar Airport in Nagpur were taken by surprise when Aamir Khan walked out on Wednesday night accompanied by Marathi stage and film actors, Reema Lagoo, Anil Bhatkal, Sai Tamhankar and Anil Barwe. They were there to take part in a contest on water conservation conducted by the state government. Aamir is the brand ambassador of CM Devendra Fadnavis's project "Jal Yukta Shivar".

On Thursday, at 4 am, they took off to the Warud taluka of Vidarbha's Amravati district, one of the worst drought-hit regions in Maharashtra. The reason Aamir handpicked the village of Wathoda was because the locals had begun to save water and his Paani Foundation which will train villagers from 120 villages in water harvesting, wanted to applaud their efforts.

"When we arrived at 6 am, the collector, sarpanch, many MLAs and villagers had already started working. We joined in the 'shramdaan'," said Reema Lagoo, recalling studying water harvesting in school. "It was time to take the practises to the fields as "dripping therapy" and "sosh khadda" can help save water."

The actors dug for four hours, followed by an interaction between Aamir, Satyajit Bhatkal and the villagers. "The villagers wanted to know what other methods of water conservation could be made available to them and Aamir ji answered all of them," Reema said. Realising the infrastructure was collapsing too, Aamir announced the building of a new road.

Sai believes this is the best way to make Maharashtra drought-free: "Not only is this a superhuman cause but also a campaign that is helping us redeem ourselves."

When Aamir met Fadnavis in mid-February, three drought-hit talukas were selected for water conservation through public participation. They were Warud in Vidarbha's Amravati district, Ambejogai in Beed of Marathwada, and Koregaon in Satara district.

Aamir instituted a "Satyamev Jayate Water Cup" and invited over 20 celebs, including Riteish Deshmukh, Atul Kulkarni, Sunny Leone, Kangana Ranaut, Rajkumar Hirani to join the initiative. He also set up a contest for the best worker in water conservation and on April 15, he took off to Beed for his first water harvesting campaign.

"116 villages are next in line. Groups of us are going to visit each of them in the coming months and work hard to help. This is just the beginning, things are not going to change overnight. Aamir ji and us have a long way to go," Reema signs off.

From Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut to Riteish Deshmukh, Sunny Leone and Reema Lagoo, the actors will tour villages in Maharashtra to talk about water harvesting
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 31, 2016)